Tau might be a top army in 40k but how will they shape up against the other factions in Apocalypse? Check out their rules preview from GW.
Warhammer Community revealed some of the rules for the Tau in 40k’s Apocalypse. With one of the most shooty armies in the game, we’ll take a look at how they compare to the other factions that have already been reviewed.
How Will Tau Play in Apocalypse 40k? Faction Review Spotted
Tau will have their classic For the Greater Good rule name but it’ll work a bit differently from 8th edition. There is going to be an order called Aimed Fire where this rule will kick in. Essentially, they don’t care if they are in melee combat with the enemy. They know their best shot (pun intended) is to blast them with their rifle than by killing them with brute strength. For the Greater Good lets your units shoot in combat and shoot at other enemy units in combat with your friendly units. You just have to subtract 1 from the roll.
Tau Battlesuits Might Be the Way To Go
Just like in 40k, you’ll be able to equip your Commanders in Battlesuits with just about any kind of weapon option to fit the needed battlefield role. That being said, the Commander can also get a 3+ save on a D12 with two shield drones and an XV8-02 Iridium Crisis Suit. If you need a tanky tank popper, load up on shield drones and fusion!
The fusion blaster might do nothing to infantry, but it can melt through enemy armor like butter. The only downside (like in 8th edition) is its 18″ range. In a game loaded with models where two tables need to be pushed together, you might not have all the room to fire safely without being in charge range from enemy units.
No matter how many Commanders you have, you can only call Kauyon or Mont’ka once per game. Kauyon can help you blast away any enemy units that are getting too close. Mont’ka, on the other hand, can let your units make a shoot action when carrying an Assault Order. (We don’t really know what that means just yet, but it sounds like you’ll be able to shoot out of sequence).
Crisis Suits are another great spammable option for bringing any kind of firepower you need to the table. And if you’ve got some high-value Commanders on the board, the Bodyguard versions of Battlesuits can even remove blast markers for free from them.
As for the Riptide, the Burst Cannon might be the “go-to” weapon in 8th (and still might be in Apocalypse). But the Ion Accelerator is coming with plenty of range, attacks, and a decent chance to hurt any kind of enemy unit. It’s a 50/50 chance both ways.
Tau Command Assets
Markerlights are going to be an Asset and will behave exactly like the first Markerlight you throw on an enemy unit in 8th.
make sure you have Kauyon and Mont’ka in your Command Asset deck. Not only do they allow you to change the order you’ve given to a Detachment, but you also get to usurp their turn to activate a Detachment!
As for Kauyon, it looks like it’s also going to be a Command Asset. With the way things are worded, it sounds like you’ll be able to shoot out of sequence.
Mont’ka is also a Command Asset that sounds like you’ll be able to advance or charge out of sequence (and maybe on your opponent’s activation). We’re sure we will understand this stuff more before the game hits the shelves but for right now, we can’t be sure of what it’ll do.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
